Bloomberg Law
Counterterrorism Tools Deployed Against Virus Spur Privacy FearsAn Israeli tech company that specializes in counterterrorism spyware is working with a dozen countries to slow the spread of an invisible enemy known as Covid-19. In China, authorities have deployed facial-recognition software and location tracking in their fight against the coronavirus. And a U.S. big data company with connections to intelligence agencies is talking to governments about how it can help.It’s not surprising that algorithms and artificial intelligence have been recruited to fight a pandemic threatening millions of lives. Yet around the world, surveillance measures normally used against terrorists and criminals are raising privacy and civil liberties concerns, causing governments from Seoul to Jerusalem to recalibrate their tactics. Some also have had to assure their citizens that the monitoring is only temporary.The privacy questions are real. What rights can people expect to safeguard? Will measures enacted during a pandemic be...

ISIS claims responsibility for rocket attack on US base in Afghanistan
Lucas Tomlinson ISIS claimed responsibility for a rocket attack on Bagram Air Base in Afghanistan early Thursday morning.The five rockets launched at the base in Kabul did not cause any injuries, the military said in a tweet. A military official told Fox News there was no damage to the base, which is the U.S.’s largest in the country.The attack came a day after the Afghan government released 100 Taliban prisoners after weeks of delay as part of a U.S.-Taliban peace deal.
The prisoner release is a critical first step to intra-Afghan negotiations aimed at bringing an end to decades of war in Afghanistan. The U.S.-Taliban deal signed in February also calls for the Taliban to free 1,000 government personnel they hold hostage.
Read more: https://www.foxnews.com/world/isis-claims-responsibility-for-rocket-attack-on-us-base-in-afghanistan...

ABC News
Counter-terrorism probe opened in France knife attack
French counter-terrorism prosecutors have opened a judicial investigation after a knife attack south of Lyon left two people dead on Saturday
By Associated Press
PARIS -- French counter-terrorism prosecutors have opened a judicial investigation after a knife attack south of Lyon left two people dead on Saturday.In a statement, prosecutors said charges will be pressed later Wednesday against the assailant, who was arrested by police minutes after the attack as he was kneeling on the sidewalk praying in Arabic.Initial investigation suggested that the assailant acted alone, prosecutors said.Magistrates are considering charges of murder or attempted murder with terrorist intent.Two people were killed and five were injured in Saturday's attack in the small town of Romans-sur-Isere, which was in lockdown amid the coronavirus pandemic.
Read more: https://abcnews.go.com/amp/International/wireStory/counter-terrorism-probe-opened-france-knife-attack-70040134...

Gatestone Institute
Coronavirus: China's Great Cover-up
by Giulio Meotti
Bats were not, it seems, sold at Wuhan's seafood market. The Lancet noted in a January study that the first Covid-19 case in Wuhan had no connection to the market.
One more person has just disappeared. Ai Fen, a Chinese physician, who... claimed her bosses silenced her early warnings about coronavirus, appears to have vanished.... The journalists who saw what happened inside Wuhan have also disappeared.
"No one has been able to study it. How can you say it's not a release from a lab if you can't go to the lab? Indeed, we have seen Beijing do its best to prevent virologists and epidemiologists from actually going to Wuhan." — Gordon Chang, in Die Weltwoche, March 31, 2020.
That is another major problem. The potential major investigator on Wuhan's origin, the World Health Organization, is now accused of being...

Military Times
Some DoD Medical Facilities Found Vulnerable To ‘Violence, Sabotage Or Terrorism'
An audit of eight military hospitals and clinics found security flaws that allowed unauthorized access to patient records and pharmacies, and left the facilities vulnerable to incidents of violence, sabotage or terrorism, according to a Pentagon inspector general report released this week.Though the facilities “generally implemented physical security controls,” weaknesses were found at all eight locations, and the auditors concluded that similar vulnerabilities may also exist at other facilities operated by the Defense Health Agency.The report cited recent security incidents at medical facilities —including a 2015 shooting near the William Beaumont Army Medical Center on Fort Bliss, Texas — that underlines the need for more stringent protocols. The rate of workplace violence is also four times higher for health care workers, according to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, and the Drug Enforcement Agency often warns of...

DW
Coronavirus: Timeline of the global spread of COVID-19Since the first cases were confirmed in December 2019, the flu-like COVID-19 virus exploded into a global pandemic, killing tens of thousands of people and infecting around 800,000. Scientists scramble for a vaccine.
Pneumonia-like virus hits WuhanOn December 31, 2019, China notifies the World Health Organization of a string of respiratory infections in the city of Wuhan, home to some 11 million people. The root virus is unknown and disease experts around the world begin working to identify it. The strain is traced to a seafood market in the city, which is quickly shut down. Some 40 people are initially reported to be infected.
First death in ChinaOn January 11, China announces the first death from the coronavirus — a 61-year-old man, who had shopped at the Wuhan market, dies from complications with pneumonia. Like SARS and the common cold, scientists identified...

Daily Sabah
US Says Airstrike In Somalia Kills Al-Shabab Senior Leader
An April 2 airstrike by U.S. forces in Somalia killed a "senior leader" of the al-Shabab militant group, the U.S. Defense Department said Tuesday.The strike left three Shabab militants dead, including Yusuf Jiis, one of the "founding" leaders of the terrorist organization, which has carried out deadly attacks against the Somali government and public targets for years, the U.S. Africa Command said in a statement.Africa Command Commander Gen. Stephen Townsend said Jiis was a "key leader" in al-Shabab."He was violent, ruthless, and responsible for the loss of many innocent lives," Townsend said in a statement.
Read more: https://www.dailysabah.com/world/africa/us-says-airstrike-in-somalia-kills-al-shabab-senior-leader...

MSN.com
Police search for woman who claims to be ‘willfully spreading’ coronavirus in Texas
by Nelson Oliveira
Police are asking the public’s help in finding an 18-year-old woman who posted a series of videos on Snapchat over the weekend claiming to be “willfully spreading” coronavirus in Texas.
In one of the videos circulating on social media, the suspect is seen filming herself inside a store that she claims to be Walmart and issues a bizarre threat to the camera.“I’m here at Walmart about to infest every motherf***** because if I’m going down all y’all motherf****** going down,” she said.Police on Sunday identified the suspect as Lorraine Maradiaga, of Carrollton, a city in the Dallas metro area, and said she will be charged with making a terroristic threat once she’s taken into custody.
Read more: https://www.msn.com/en-au/news/world/police-search-for-woman-who-claims-to-be-willfully-spreading-coronavirus-in-texas/ar-BB12hX95?li=AAgfYrC...

Sahara Reporters
Boko Haram Terrorists Burn Houses, Loot Shops In Adamawa Village
A source told SaharaReporters that the terrorists in large numbers arrived the village in pickup vans and motorcycles at about 4:00pm.
by SaharaReporters, New York
Boko Haram terrorists have attacked a village in Adamawa State, destroying residential buildings and looting shops.The terrorists attacked Kirchinga under Madagali Local Government Area of the state on Monday night, razing no fewer than five houses. A source told SaharaReporters that the terrorists in large numbers arrived the village in pickup vans and motorcycles at about 4:00pm.The Boko Haram fighters also shot an octogenarian in the leg before being repelled by troops of the Nigerian Army.
Read more: http://saharareporters.com/2020/04/07/breaking-boko-haram-terrorists-burn-houses-loot-shops-adamawa-village...

The Evening Standard
Riot squad: Met looks to buy military-style vehicles to tackle disorder in Londonby Rachael Burford
Scotland Yard wants to buy a new fleet of military-style armoured vehicles to help tackle public disorder, firearms incidents and riots in London.Last week the force put out a notice stating it was looking for suppliers for armoured personnel carriers, armoured military vehicles, armoured combat vehicles and weapon carriers.It also wants security, fire-fighting and defence equipment and armour plating.It wishes to buy “tactical intervention and public order and firearm patrol vehicles” that can carry up to eight personnel and have a gross vehicle weight over 10 tonnes, according to the notice.
Read more: https://www.standard.co.uk/news/crime/riot-squad-met-looks-to-buy-militarystyle-vehicles-a4405991.html...

WDRB
Myanmar officially brands Rakhine rebels a terrorist group
YANGON, Myanmar (AP) — Myanmar has officially designated an armed ethnic rebel group known as the Arakan Army a terrorist organization.The declaration, published in official notices in Tuesday's newspapers, came after more than a year of bitter fighting between government forces and the guerrilla group, which represents the Buddhist Rakhine inhabitants of Rakhine state in western Myanmar. It is one of more than a dozen ethnic minorities in Myanmar seeking autonomy.The notice says the Arakan Army and an affiliated organization, the United League of Arakan, "have caused serious losses of public security, lives and property, important infrastructures of the public and private sector, state-owned buildings, vehicles, equipment and materials."
Read more: https://www.wdrb.com/news/national/myanmar-officially-brands-rakhine-rebels-a-terrorist-group/article_e6a4a5f9-e694-51bf-bae6-bdab40a3c27d.html...

Voice Of America
US, Somalia Conduct Airstrike Against Al-Shabab Terrorist Group
By VOA News
The U.S. Africa Command says it has, in coordination with the Somali government, targeted al-Shabab, an al-Qaida-linked terrorist group in an airstrike Friday.The command issued a statement Saturday saying that the airstrike took place near Bush Madina on Friday.According to initial assessments, the statement said, five terrorists were killed during the airstrike, and no civilians were killed or injured.The U.S. Africa Command works with the Somali government to improve security conditions for the country and its people, and to enhance governance and economic development there.
Read more: https://www.voanews.com/africa/us-somalia-conduct-airstrike-against-al-shabab-terrorist-group...

DNA
ISIS may launch lone wolf attack on cops during lockdown: Delhi police
by DNA Web Desk
Delhi Police has issued an official advisory stating that police personnel deployed for COVID-19 duty in the national capital are likely to be the target for the terror outfit ISIS during the 21-day lockdown.
"A reliable inputs indicate that the police personnel deployed at various pickets, barricades in Delhi in connection with maintaining of law and order in Delhi during the COVID-19 duty may be targeted by suspected ISIS operatives," communication issued by Delhi Police on Tuesday night stated.The secret message intercepted by the Delhi Police stated that the act may be in the form of 'Lone Wolf attack like stabbing, firing or ramming the pickets with a vehicle.'In the likelihood of such an attack being conducted in the national capital, security has been tightened-fiELD staff have been reinforced with 'morchas and extra...

SILive.com
NYPD: 18.6% of department on sick report; 2,117 members test positive for coronavirus
By Joseph Ostapiuk STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- The NYPD said that 6,718 uniformed members were on sick report Sunday, which accounts for 18.6% of the department’s uniformed workforce.While the percentage of the NYPD members out sick continued to rise, the rate at which it increased has slowed in recent days -- only increasing .6% since three days ago compared to April 1 and 2, when the department saw a 1% increase over a one-day span.
As of Sunday, 1,843 uniformed members and 274 civilian members tested positive for coronavirus (COVID-19), which increased from 1,775 uniformed members and 260 civilian members Saturday, according to the NYPD.
Read more: https://www.silive.com/coronavirus/2020/04/nypd-186-of-department-on-sick-report-2117-members-test-positive-for-coronavirus.html...

The Times of Israel
Islamic terror groups see opportunity in global chaos from virus
Al-Qaeda, Islamic State view pandemic both as threat and as opening to recruit and to strike harder, taking advantage of armies busy fighting a silent enemy
By Agencies
JOHANNESBURG, South Africa — Both the Islamic State (IS) group and al-Qaeda see the coronavirus as a threat, but some of their fighters also see the upheaval from the pandemic as an opportunity to win over more supporters and strike harder than before.Messages from the Islamic terror groups show concern about the virus mixed with bravado, asserting that it is punishment for non-Muslims while also urging followers to repent and take care of themselves.
Read more: https://www.timesofisrael.com/islamic-terror-groups-see-opportunity-in-global-chaos-from-virus/...

New York Post
White House sends protective gear to NYPD in ‘Operation Blue Bloods’By Ebony Bowden
WASHINGTON — White House officials sprung into action on Monday after receiving an “SOS” email from the NYPD begging for protective equipment — delivering the frontline gear just 16 hours later, The Post has learned.In a mission dubbed “Operation Blue Bloods,” President Donald Trump’s equipment czar Peter Navarro, Assistant to the President for Trade and Manufacturing Policy, cobbled together a rapid-response team including company executives who flew thousands of full-body suits on a private plane the next day.More than 6,000 gallons of hand sanitizer donated by alcohol company Pernod Ricard were also rushed from Arizona by a UPS trucker in 48 hours.With a mounting number of bodies left in the wake of the coronavirus outbreak, reports have emerged of homicide detectives being forced to make house calls without the correct protective equipment — potentially...

BBC
By Gordon Corera Security correspondent
Coronavirus: How will it change national security and spying?
The pandemic has raised questions about whether global health should be a more central part of national security.
A senior intelligence officer rushes in to a meeting with the latest report and places it in front of anxious politicians and policymakers.In the past, it might have contained details about a planned terrorist attack - perhaps a cell in the Middle East looking at a new way of taking down an airline. This would lead to the well-practised national security machine cranking into gear.But in the future, that report may instead be about an outbreak of a virus in a far-off country which was being concealed by its government.Since the 9/11 attacks nearly 20 years ago, national security has been dominated by terrorism. But there have been voices over the years who have argued the notion...

Los Angeles Times
FBI Looks For Ties To Extremist Groups In Train Derailment Near Hospital Ship Mercy
By Richard Winton, Staff Writer The FBI is examining whether a man accused of intentionally derailing a freight train near the Navy hospital ship Mercy, which is docked in San Pedro to help with the coronavirus crisis, had any ties to extremist groups, and agents are digging into his social media background.Eduardo Moreno, 44, of San Pedro was charged with deliberately wrecking a train during the incident Tuesday, which led to a derailment and fuel leak, according to the charges.“Moreno is the only person charged in the case. While the government has made no allegations linking Moreno to an extremist ideology, our investigation is continuing,” the FBI said in a statement to The Times.Prosecutors allege that Moreno derailed the train and deliberately crashed through barriers designed to stop engines before grinding to a...

ABC News
Terrorist Groups Spin COVID-19 As God's “Smallest Soldier” Attacking West
Bleeding the U.S. economy dry has always been a goal of terrorist groups.
By James Gordon Meek
While much of the United States and Europe has been staying home to avoid COVID-19 as it kills thousands, terrorist groups are blasting online propaganda messages toward followers and potential recruits which hail the calamity of the disease as divine retribution.In propaganda communiques this week, ISIS and al-Qaeda have each claimed that the highly contagious and deadly coronavirus is God's wrath upon the West, and the disease itself is a "soldier of Allah," as one ISIS supporter recently said in an online chatroom, according to the private SITE Intelligence Group."Allah, the Creator, has revealed the brittleness and vulnerability of your material strength. It is now clear for all to see that it was but a deception that could not stand the...

CBS 12 News
Georgia Man Pleads Guilty To Planning Terrorist Attacks On White House, Other DC Monuments
by STEFANIE DYGA, Sinclair Broadcast Group
WASHINGTON (SBG) – The U.S. Department of Justice announced Wednesday a Georgia man has pleaded guilty to planning a terrorist attack on the White House.23-year-old Hasher Jallal Taheb, of Cumming, pleaded guilty to a charge of attempting to destroy, by fire or an explosive, a building owned by or leased to the United States, according to the press release. Officials say he had planned an attack on the White House using weapons and explosives.Back in March of 2018, a member of the Atlanta community reported concerns to local law officials who then got in touch with the FBI, officials say. “Taheb hatched a dangerous plan that would have resulted in unimaginable injury,” said Byung J. “BJay” Pak, U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Georgia. “We...